The Unofficial Sexy Shrimp Thread

Lalani

Posted 21 March 2008 - 06:41 PM

Lalani

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Updated 5-15-11

Welcome to the Unofficial Sexy Shrimp Thread!

Here we will be discussing Thor amboinensis a.k.a. sexy shrimp, sexy anemone shrimp, anemone shrimp, squat shrimp, humback shrimp, high-tailed shrimp, and dancing shrimp. Yeah, I know, that's a lot of names, but I did not make any up!

In this thread, you can post pictures, videos, stories, tips, questions, and anything else that pertains to sexy shrimp. Try to keep things PG, please! We don't want to get kicked out too soon.

Basic information:

Sexy shrimp are best kept in groups of odd numbers over 3. They can be kept single or as a pair, but they are much more comfortable as a group. One of their most striking behaviors is their 'dancing.' When they are kept in a group or when they are frightened, they will swing their tails back and forth, rythmically, hence the name "Dancing Shrimp."

Tank setup:
Sexy shrimp are very small, usually growing no larger than 1½", so they are best kept in tanks smaller than 10gal. In larger tanks, they are difficult to keep track of and can possibly be bullied by crabs, other shrimp, and some fish. They really love tanks in between 2 and 5 gallons.

Feeding:
You can feed them most flaked and frozen foods, plankton, and meaty items. There are several methods of feeding, and everyone can post their favorite choice.

Hosting:
Sexy anemone shrimp have that name because their natural host is an anemone. If an anemone is not present, they will most likely host other corals, but a host is not required.

Molting:
They will molt every 3 to 4 weeks, at night. Sometimes the molted skin can be mistaken as a dead body, so take a closer look and conduct a head count before getting worried.

Are sexies reef safe?
YES! But, if they are not kept well fed, there is a big chance that they will munch on your corals. Some people don't have trouble with this at all, but I personally have to feed mine at least once a day, or else they start binging on zoa skirts.

Tankmates
Sexies should be alright to keep with just about anything except those fish/inverts/etc. that eat inverts. There is always a possibility of having a rouge critter that may not be friendly. Also, there may be disagreements if one or more critters in the tank are very territorial.

Lately I've been coming across accounts from people of sexy shrimps eating their corals. It's a tragic case but I think it's also one that can easily be avoided. Sexy shrimps are opportunistic scavengers so you can probably get away with not feeding them in a fully stock tank with fish and/or corals that are fed on a regular basis. But in a small tank all to themselves and with corals that don't need to be fed regularly, spot feeding them is important in order to keep them happy and to prevent them from eating your corals. I thought I'd share my technique with people who are cautious about getting these little guys or current owners who may be having some trouble getting their shrimps to eat. I've even included photos to make this more fun.

Feeding them is surprisingly easy and requires very little time. I feed mine with shrimp pellets every other day.
I happen to use Omega One Shrimp Pellets (quite disturbing if you really think about it) and they absolutely love it. But really, any pellets will do.

You will need forceps to spot feed the shrimp. You can get Aquatic Forceps from Foster & Smith which also come in handy for aquascaping and for moving and poking at things in your tank.

Lalani also suggested mechanics forceps so I suppose those will work as well if you can find them.

Step 1: Find a good size pellet that's just the right portion for your shrimp. A pellet that's too big leaves a big mess and one that's too small may end up floating off and getting lost from their grip.

Step 2: Dip the pellet in the water and allow it to soak up a bit. It also helps to shake it off a little to get rid of air bubbles. This keeps the pellet from floating away.

Step 3: Spot feed. Sexy shrimps have a good sense of smell (or taste?) and will come running the moment they sense food. Notice the other shrimp running towards the front.

These guys are greedy eaters and don't like to share. This one has decided to snatch the pellet all to himself...

...so it's a good idea to make sure they each get their own.

As you can see, a well-fed sexy is a happy sexy. And one that's too busy munching on their own pellet instead of your corals.

irishtexan

Posted 21 March 2008 - 06:59 PM

chrisv

Posted 21 March 2008 - 07:13 PM

chrisv

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i had a pair of SS that inhabited a 10 g nano. they did GREAT for about a year. then, they continued to do great while eating a healthy diet of ricordea and acropora until i finally caught them and got rid of them. I know every one will deny that this happens. i know that putting the info out there will get you to question my competency so let me say that i have kept reef aquariums for 12 years and nanos for 5 years and while i know that being a molecular geneticist doesn't mean i'm a marine biologist, i hope it can assure you that im not a total moron and that im used to looking for very very small changes in complex systems and making good observations. in the 4 months since i have removed the shrimp the tank looks better than ever.

Lalani

Posted 21 March 2008 - 07:17 PM

Lalani

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Guess I'll start this off with pics of mine.

i had a pair of SS that inhabited a 10 g nano. they did GREAT for about a year. then, they continued to do great while eating a healthy diet of ricordea and acropora until i finally caught them and got rid of them. I know every one will deny that this happens. i know that putting the info out there will get you to question my competency so let me say that i have kept reef aquariums for 12 years and nanos for 5 years and while i know that being a molecular geneticist doesn't mean i'm a marine biologist, i hope it can assure you that im not a total moron and that im used to looking for very very small changes in complex systems and making good observations. in the 4 months since i have removed the shrimp the tank looks better than ever.

Thats one thing I will add to the original post. You're not alone! Mine will munch on corals if I don't feed them every day. Its common. How often did you target feed them?There is no need to be so defensive, and welcome to NR!

el fabuloso

Posted 21 March 2008 - 08:07 PM

el fabuloso

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BKLYN

The Sexy Club is official! I'm so glad this thread is finally up. Thanks Lalani, you did a superb job at gathering some basic info on these guys. As for me, I can't get enough sexy! I think everyone should have some in their tanks. Unfortunately some people have had bad experiences with these guys nibbling at their corals so hopefully this thread will serve as a good place to gain knowledge and support for both sexy owners and people who are looking to have something intriguing and fun in their tanks!

jennifro

Posted 22 March 2008 - 06:20 AM

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Yay! How fun! I have been trying to get good pictures of my sexies but I still haven't perfected getting good shots of small things in my tank. And my 2 sexies mainly hang out on a rock right up front and they are always together!

I bought some sinking pellets for them yesterday and they still didn't eat. But I guess if they get hungry they will right? I will keep trying! Once I get know they will eat I think I will see if my LFS can order me 3 more.

Lalani thanks for starting the thread! This is going to be so much fun!

Lalani

Posted 22 March 2008 - 06:34 AM

Lalani

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Jenn, they may still be getting accustomed to their new tank. Give them a few days to settle in, and keep trying to feed them. Even if they don't eat what you give them, they will most likely eat stuff off the rocks.

jennifro

Posted 22 March 2008 - 07:32 AM

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Jenn, they may still be getting accustomed to their new tank. Give them a few days to settle in, and keep trying to feed them. Even if they don't eat what you give them, they will most likely eat stuff off the rocks.

Thanks. That is what I was hoping. I have had one for a week and the other for just 3 days so I figured the changes must throw them off. I will keep trying. At least now they don't really seem to mind when my hand is in there. Hopefully soon they will realize when the big pink rubber thing (yes I have pink gloves for messing with my tank) is there it means food!

el fabuloso

Posted 22 March 2008 - 10:43 AM

el fabuloso

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1. The females are apparently noticeably fatter than the males

2. IME, it seems that they prefer to host soft corals (GSP, mushrooms, palys, Xenias). I have a Blasto colony that they stay away from altogether. I could be wrong though and hopefully someone else who's got sexies hosting LPS can chime in.

3. I've seen sexies in some of the smallest picos on here so I'm sure one will be fine in a 1.5g pico.

Nick's Reef

Posted 22 March 2008 - 10:47 AM

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1. The females are apparently noticeably fatter than the males

2. IME, it seems that they prefer to host soft corals (GSP, mushrooms, palys, Xenias). I have a Blasto colony that they stay away from altogether. I could be wrong though and hopefully someone else who's got sexies hosting LPS can chime in.

3. I've seen sexies in some of the smallest picos on here so I'm sure one will be fine in a 1.5g pico.

Hey thanks! i'll be starting a 1.5gal pico soon and wanted sexies so I just wanted make sure that it would be ok. I think they'd host a duncan due to it looking so close to a nem.

Lalani

Posted 22 March 2008 - 12:28 PM

Lalani

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Seems like things were under control while I was gone. Sexies are more prone to host corals that resemble anemones... LPS like frogspawn, torch, and hammer. Xenia. Tall zoas and palys. Ricordea mushrooms, etc. I'm not so certain about duncans or acans, but you can try. Just remember that they may not host anything at all.

Are sexy shrimp aggressive?

Nope, they are completely peaceful. Males may be protective of their females during breeding though.

They were among the casualties when my son squirted lotion in my pico I have given serious consideration to getting several for my 12g, but I am afraid fish would pick on them.

I remember your thread about the lotion, that really sucked! But kids will be kids.

el fabuloso

Posted 22 March 2008 - 12:30 PM

el fabuloso

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Are sexy shrimp aggressive?

Not at all! Sometimes they squabble amongst each other especially during feeding time but for the most part they're peaceful. They're also not afraid to put hermit crabs in their place but they're not bullies in any way.

Mr. Glass

Posted 22 March 2008 - 12:33 PM

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Can sexy shrimp be with other kinds of shrimp?

Sorry about the questions but I have been wanting a sexy shrimp for a long time, well three weeks, and my 3 gal pico is finally cycled and has 2 snails with 3 small crabs. There are no sexies in my area at the moment but I want to stock my tank (and get rid of a few pods). So could I get a sexy later in the near future even if I got a different shrimp today?

Lalani

Posted 22 March 2008 - 12:36 PM

Lalani

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What other shrimp were you planning to add? All but the smallest shrimp are not suitable for picos, because of size restraints. And if your cycle just recently ended, I would wait for at least a month before adding any shrimp at all. They really do better in stable tanks.

Lalani

Posted 22 March 2008 - 12:56 PM

Lalani

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I have no experience with fire shrimp, but they are supposed to be peaceful. As with any critters, it all depends on the individual. Just remember people, sexies like to be kept in odd numbered groups over 3!